Claude l



(No Model.)

OJLHAGEN. FASTENING ATTACHMENT FOR STAGE SGENER'Y.

No. 586,486. Patented July 13, 1897 I liawiziar ZZmklfiayew).

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE L. HAGEN, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

FASTENlNG ATTACHMENT FOR STAGE-SCENERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,486, dated July 18, 1897.

Application filed December 31, 1896. Serial No. 617,649. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may (if/72067771 Be it known that I, CLAUDE L. IIAGEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fastening Attachments for Stage-Scenery, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fastening attachments for stage-scenery, and has for its object to provide improved, simple, and inexpensive attachments for securing together the abutting edges of the scene-frames, by means of which the component parts of the scenery may be quickly and firmly secured together, and which shall insure the adjacent portions of the scenery matching or registering one with the other with accuracy and precision, and which shall facilitate the compact storage of the scenery for transportation.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel features and in the construction, arrangement, or combination of parts hereinafter described, and definitely pointed out in the claims following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a portion of a stage-scene illustrating my improved fastening attachments applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one member of the attachment detached, and Fig. 3 is a similar view of the corresponding member of the attachment.

Heretofore it has been the usual practice to attach to the meeting or abutting upright rails of stage-seen ery fiat metallic cleats which projected beyond the rear edges of said rails, the cleats of one rail overlapping the adjoining rail, and these rails when the frames were set up in position were secured together by a rope or cord which was fastened into a loop or bight at one end and passed over the heads or nails secured in the opposite edges of the meeting rails, and the opposite end of the rope was passed over a cleat projecting from the edge of one of the rails and attached to a staple fixed on the opposite rail, as is well understood by those familiar with the art. Such manner of securing together the sceneframes has been found objectionable for many reasons. In transporting scenery by railway the separate frames have to be inserted in the end doors of cars end first or on their sides, and the projecting cleats heretofore employed have not only rendered the insertion of the frames in the cars difficult and tedious, but have been extremely liable to engage the door-frames and interior of the cars, thus breaking or loosening the attaching devices and straining and breaking the frames. Such fastening devices have also necessarily limited the size of the scene-frames and have not aided in any manner to cause the different parts of the scenery to match or register one with another or to hold such frames in place after theyhave been caused to so match or register. All these defects and disadvantages are avoided and overcome by means of my improved attachments, which I will now describe.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the upright rails, 2 the top and bottom rails, and 3 the intermediate brace-rails which form the frames over which the painted canvas forming the scenery is stretched and fastened. For the convenience of transportation, storage, and in setting up the scenery these frames are made much greater in height than in width, as shown, and when set in position on the stage are attached together edge to edge by suitable fastening devices at the rear sides of the frames.

My improved attachments consist of two cleats 4: and 5, adapted to be attached to the rear faces of the upright rails 1 by screws or bolts, as shown, and at their outer or adjacent ends are respectively provided with flanges 6 and 7, which are formed at right angles to the cleats and are preferably fitted in mortises formed in the edges of the upright rails 1.

The cleats 4 and 5 each projects beyond the inner edge of its respective rail at one end, as shown, one cleat, as 5, of each pair having formed in its projecting end an eye or perforation 8, and the flange 6 of one cleat is formed with a conical stud 9, that is adapted to fit and seat in a correspondingly-shaped recess or socket 10, formed in the flange 7 of the registering cleat 5. In practice the cleats 4 and 5 are arranged in pairs, there being two such pairs attached to the meeting upright rails 1 of the frames. In the standard sizes of ICO cleats 4 and 5 in engagement with each other,

stage-scenery-that is to say, scenery wherein the frames are from eighteen to twenty feet in heightone pair of cleats will preferably be attached to the upright rails about three feet from the top of the frames and the other pair about four feet from the bottom and in such manner that the studs 9 of one cleat will fit and seat in the recess or socket 10 of the corresponding cleat when the scenery has been properly set up in position. When two frames have been set up in place with the a cord or rope 11 is attached at one end to the eye 8 of the upper cleat 5 and is passed over the projecting end of the corresponding cleat 4, and from thence is passed around the projecting end of the lower cleat 5 and about the projecting end of the companion cleat 4, and at its end is'knotted to the standing part of the cord or rope. The two frames are thus securely attached one to the other, and the studs 9, fitting in the recesses 10, not only prevent one frame from having any lateral movement relative to the other, but also prevent any vertical movement of one frame with respect to the other, thus insuring the scenery carried by the frames matching or registering with the utmost accuracy. Furthermore, one of each adjacent pair of upright rails has no projections Whatever beyond its outer edges, while the other rail has only the two very slightly projecting studs 9, thus facilitating the packing of the scenery on the cars and permitting the frames to be made of a width approximating the full height of a car-door. When the scenery is taken apart, it is only necessary to disengage the cord or rope from the lower cleats 4 and 5 and the upper cleat 4- and attach the free end of the cord or rope to the eye of the lower cleat 5, in which position it Will be in readiness for instantly setting up the scenery.

Having described my invention, what I tions and recesses and at their opposite ends provided with extensions projecting over the opposite edges of said rails, substantially as described.

2. In an attachment for stage-scenery, the combination of two cleats provided with means for attachment to the meeting rails of the scene-frames, said cleats at their adjacent ends being provided with interlocking projections and recesses, and at their opposite ends provided with extensions projecting over the opposite edges of said rails, one of said extensions being perforated, substantially as. described and for the purpose specified.

3. In an attachment for stage-scenery, the combination of two cleats 4 5 provided with means for attachment to the meeting rails of scene-frames, and provided with right-angled flanges 6 and 7 arranged to embrace the adjacent edges of said rails, a conical stud 9 formed on the flange 6, a correspondinglyshaped recess 10 in the flange 7 in which said stud fits, and extensions formed on the opposite ends of said cleats and projecting beyond the opposite ends of said rails, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth. p

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLAUDE L. HAGENL \Vitnesses:

ERNEST ALBERT, WALTER W. BURRIDGE. 

